Hey, wanna see a car on fire?

You know that feeling when you're zippin' down the highway and all of a sudden you see nothing but red brake lights in front of you and think, "oh f***, what is this"? Well, driving home Wednesday afternoon, I had just that feeling and experience. Off in the distance on the other side on Rte. 295, I see plumes of black smoke. As I inch a little closer at 15 mph I see a car fully engulfed in flames. A couple of cop cars are already there and a couple, presumably occupants of the car, standing safely a good 50 yards in front of the vehicle. Now part of me feels badly for the couple and part of me says, "how do you not know your car is that f***ed up"?

I've had many high mileage cars over the years. The latest being a 2005 Ford Escape with 325,000 miles that I gave to my son two years ago. I even bought a car about ten years ago with 235,000 miles on it, just to get back and forth to work. So I'm not a new car snob that doesn't know from driving a hooptie. But you have to pay attention to the maintenance of any car you drive. If it sounds, smells or feels funny, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH IT! And you should get it looked at. That's all. Personal responsibility for your safety, the safety of others and the things you own. This is what happens when you don't follow that simple rule.

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